ETCHING PROPERTIES OF A HOMALITE POLYCARBONATE NUCLEAR TRACK DETECTOR

Experiments have been performed to study the chemical etching properti es of a Homalite CR-39 nuclear track detector under different etching conditions of temperature T (50-80-degrees-C) and concentration of NaO H solution C (5-10 N). The bulk etch rate (V(B)) was determined by the weight method and found to be strongly dependent on both T and C. An average value of etching activation energy of 0.83 +/- 0.04 eV was fou nd. This was independent of the absorbed gamma dose in the studied det ectors.